"What are my thoughts... I can only say I'm shocked; the second level is vastly different from the first, isn't it? What has happened here?" Zhu Bufan let out a wry smile, truly at a loss in face of the scenery of the second level. He had imagined many possibilities, but never expected the second level to be a place where thunder never ceased.

"Hmph, shocked? Aren't you shocked a bit too easily? Let me tell you, this second level is a Thunder Marsh Zone. The whole layer is filled with Spiritual Energy of the Gold Thunder Attribute, hence the chaotic thunder and lightning are rampant throughout the entire second level. What, aren't you supposed to be 'pleasantly surprised'? Why the astonishment?" Yue Lan scrutinized Zhu Bufan with an expression of schadenfreude and did not hide any details about the second level from him.

Taking in a bit of the surrounding Heaven and Earth Primordial Qi, Zhu Bufan found that what Yue Lan had said was true. Indeed, Spiritual Energy of the Gold Thunder Attribute pervaded everywhere, and the excessive Golden Thunder Spiritual Energy naturally caused the violent thunderstorms. This place might be a boon for those who cultivate Thunder Element Primordial Qi, but for Zhu Bufan, who cultivated Fire Element Primordial Qi, it was nothing but trouble.

Seeing Yue Lan's gleeful expression, irritation surged in Zhu Bufan. After a cold snort, Zhu Bufan retorted: "So smug for what, haven't you ended up in the same place as I have? By the way, where are Master Wang Hui and Huo Ling? They haven't arrived yet? Could something have happened to them? But that's impossible, it's just one step away."

"Hmph! Simple. If the times we entered the gate were different, the areas we'd be teleported to would also differ. We were lucky to have not been struck by lightning right under this Mushroom Stone, but who knows about Wang Hui and your little girlfriend; maybe they emerged right under a Thunder Pillar, haha," Yue Lan's face turned ashen upon Zhu Bufan's initial words, but then she broke into a smile, speaking to Zhu Bufan.

Hearing Yue Lan's words, Zhu Bufan became anxious, but seeing her demeanor, Zhu Bufan knew she wanted to see him make a fool of himself. After closing his eyes to compose himself, Zhu Bufan forced a smile and said: "Thanks for the reminder! Oh, by the way, I forgot to tell you, tracking scents is my forte. Since you think they're dead, I won't force you. Just stay here on your own, and I'll come back for you once I find them!"

After Zhu Bufan finished speaking, he dashed away from the Mushroom Stone towards the distance. Yue Lan's lips curled into a mocking smile, but gradually, her smile faded, replaced by a look of panic.

"Hey!! Are you just leaving me here? You could at least help me lift the Primordial Qi Prohibition! Hey!! Jerk! You're a jerk, come back!! I... I won't say anything about you anymore..." Her loud cries, though, were drowned out by the booming thunder, and with Zhu Bufan's figure no longer in sight, Yue Lan finally sat down under the Mushroom Stone, softly sobbing and muttering curses at Zhu Bufan.

"Are you done cursing? Once you're done, we leave." At that moment, Zhu Bufan's voice came from behind Yue Lan. Startled, she quickly turned her head and saw Zhu Bufan standing there, as if he had never left.

"You didn't leave?" Seeing Zhu Bufan unexpectedly behind her, Yue Lan's mood, which had hit rock bottom, abruptly soared. However, in an instant, she realized how unladylike she appeared and quickly wiped away the crystal-clear tears, puffing up angrily as she spoke.

"One last time I'm asking you, are you coming with me or not? If you're not coming, I'll really leave you here," Zhu Bufan declared, watching Yue Lan bite her lower lip in silence. Seeing her like this, Zhu Bufan knew what was on her mind. This girl was too proud to admit her mistake. The once capable and generous Yue Lan he first met, and the graceful and charming lady he encountered the second time were nowhere to be found. Now, she was just like a little girl who had done something wrong but was too stubborn to apologize.

"Fine, fine, it's not about asking if you want to follow. I need you to lead the way. Let's go, we're pressed for time!" Grabbing Yue Lan's slender waist with one hand, Zhu Bufan rapidly darted from under the Mushroom Stone, and Yue Lan, in silent acquiescence, let him.

"Emperor Yan, can you sense where Ao Huoling and Master Wang Hui are?" As Zhu Bufan led Yue Lan deeper into the perilous Thunder Marsh Plain littered with lightning strikes, he communicated with Emperor Yan in his heart.

"The Spiritual Energy here is a bit chaotic, but it shouldn't be a problem... Northeast, a thousand or so meters away, there are the scents of that girl and the old man. There's also another scent, must be the Grand Steward who was captured along with the girl; didn't expect him to have followed here as well," Emperor Yan responded after a short probe and directed Zhu Bufan.

"Great! Got it!" Hearing Emperor Yan's indications, Zhu Bufan turned and rushed in the northeast direction. Soon enough, he saw an intense battle unfolding ahead. Realizing how easily Zhu Bufan had found the missing companions, Yue Lan regarded him with amazement.

'Boom!'

A pale green Wind Primordial Qi collided fiercely with Wang Hui's blazing Flame Primordial Qi. Grand Steward Liu and Wang Hui both retreated a distance, while Huo Ling, evidently unable to join the battle between the two Soul Refining Realm cultivators, could only dodge the incessant Thunder Pillars and watch the fight.

Uncle Liu!!

Seeing the somewhat disheveled Grand Steward Liu, Yue Lan called out loudly. Though the thunder around them was deafening, Yue Lan's clear, oriole-like voice still reached Grand Steward Liu's ears clearly, stirring him from his bloodlust and prompting him to quickly halt his assault.

"Miss!"

Flying swiftly toward Zhu Bufan, who was coming at him, Grand Steward Liu made no effort to argue. He simply released Yue Lan's waist and stepped back, halting beside her. Only after confirming that Yue Lan was unharmed from head to toe did he breathe a sigh of relief.

'Crack!!'

A bolt of lightning struck less than three meters away from the group, its force carving a small, charred pit into the ground. Seeing this dangerously close strike, Zhu Bufan immediately said to Grand Steward Liu, "Grand Steward, now is not the time to fight. The place we just came from has a Mushroom Stone that can temporarily shield us from the lightning. Let's discuss further when we get there."

"Alright!"

Now calm and seeing that Yue Lan was safe, Grand Steward Liu understood that fighting here was the height of folly. Not to mention the powerful lightning strikes, even if one could withstand them, it would not be pleasant. Moreover, with Yue Lan's Primordial Qi restrained, should there be a fight and nobody to watch over her, there would be no chance of escaping the lightning.

Led by Zhu Bufan, the group quickly applied their movement techniques and swept toward the Mushroom Stone, where Zhu Bufan had been before. During the short journey, they dodged three more Thunder Pillar strikes, evidencing the frequent lightning in the area. They finally breathed a real sigh of relief once they reached the shelter of the Mushroom Stone.

"Hmph! Zhu Bufan! You'd better release the restraint on Miss's Primordial Qi right now, or else this old man won't let this go!" As soon as they were safe, Grand Steward Liu's aura burst forth, pressuring Zhu Bufan. Today, he had been thoroughly played by Zhu Bufan and his companions. Now, Grand Steward Liu itched to slay the three of them on the spot.

"Grand Steward, it's not that I don't want to help her, but the restraint will automatically dissipate after twelve hours. Before that, it cannot be undone, so I'm truly incapable," Zhu Bufan said with a shrug, displaying a helpless expression. Joking aside, even if it was indeed possible to restore it, Zhu Bufan would still claim it couldn't be done. With the other two looking murderous, why would he release an enemy he himself had set free? Zhu Bufan wasn't out of his mind.

Hearing Zhu Bufan's inability to immediately restore Yue Lan's circulation of Primordial Qi, Grand Steward Liu felt helpless; he had never even heard of such a method to restrain Primordial Qi, let alone seen it. Feeling powerless, Grand Steward Liu scoffed and said, "Fine, fine, fine! I'll wait twelve hours, but if she has not recovered after twelve hours, I'll put my life on the line to not let you off!"

"Rest assured, if I said it would recover in twelve hours, I wouldn't lie to you." Zhu Bufan appeared unconcerned with Grand Steward Liu's warning. Putting aside whether Grand Steward Liu alone could overcome the three of them present, Zhu Bufan would not doubt Emperor Yan's word. Since Emperor Yan said it was a twelve-hour restraint, Zhu Bufan was bold enough to make the promise.

"Rest assured? You won't deceive?" Grand Steward Liu sneered repeatedly, his eyes filled with scorn. "I wonder who the one was who pulled such a stunt outside Lanyue Pavilion? Very well! I admit, you orchestrated this beautifully! I just don't understand why, after we've treated you with such courtesy, you had to do such a thing. That kind of behavior really isn't reassuring, is it?"

"Grand Steward, please don't misunderstand. We didn't intend to trample on Lanyue Pavilion's sincerity. It was purely out of desperation to get to the Second Layer. You should be the most aware of Wang Hui's experiences over the years. It's fair to say that even if young brother Zhu Bufan hadn't come, my patience would still have reached its limit," Wang Hui stepped forward and said decisively. After hearing Wang Hui's words, Grand Steward Liu fell silent.

"Now that you have seen the situation on the Second Layer, this is the 'Thunder Marsh Layer' you were all so desperate to reach; a world filled with flashes of lightning and peals of thunder. Are you satisfied now?" At this moment, Yue Lan, who had also recovered from the hasty traveling, spoke with a cold smirk.

"Satisfaction is not the point because our goal is to keep moving to the lower levels until we find a way to leave this tower or meet our deaths. As for Miss Yue Lan and Grand Steward Liu, if you wish to leave, we certainly won't stop you. If you seek vengeance, then we will accompany you in this! I can only say that when it came to detaining Miss Yue Lan, it was purely a matter of our respective stances, and bringing Miss Yue Lan here was entirely accidental," Zhu Bufan, having no patience to bicker with Grand Steward Liu and Yue Lan, stated after hearing Yue Lan's words, as if to reaffirm his stance to Yue Lan and to clarify his attitude to Grand Steward Liu.

"Think we can leave? Do you think we don't want to? The Second Layer doesn't have a gate to the First Layer, neither does the Third or Fourth! Only the Fifth Layer has a gate to return. If there was a way back, do you think we'd still be wasting words with you?" Yue Lan, seeing Zhu Bufan's attitude, was furious, her words seething with anger.

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